Pic de Caramantran and its lakes from Agnel

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A border route to tackle the Pic de Caramantran (3,025 m), observe a multitude of 3,000-metre peaks: Mont Viso, Pain de Sucre, Tête des Toillies, and discover three magnificent lakes: Blanchet supérieur, Blanchet inférieur and Blanche.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 799 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 802 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,012 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,497 m
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Photos

Summit of the peak
Lower Blanchet Lake
Lower Blanchet Lake
Lac Blanchet Supérieur

Description of the walk

Park approximately 400 m after the Refuge de l'Agnel, continuing the ascent towards Col Agnel. There is a large car park.

(S/E) Cross the Col Agnel road and take the southbound path that passes under the dry toilets.

(1) Cross the Riou Long (upper part of the Aigue Agnelle). At the Sentier déambulatoire sign, head towards Col de Chamoussière, taking the red and white markedGR®58. Continue along this path to reach Col de Chamoussière.

(2). Turn left onto the ridge to reach Pic de Caramantran. Note: several cairned trails make it easy to reach the summit, marked by a cairn and a small stone inscribed with Pic de Caramantran 3025 m.

(3) Begin your descent by following the ridge for about 50 metres, then take the time to observe the rest of the route. Several paths branch off, but stay on the highest one and you will come to a cairn with a green flag and a plaque reading "Lollo in vetta".

(4) Here you will find the yellowPR® markings, which you can easily follow along the French-Italian border to the Col de Saint-Véran.

(5) Continue along the border towards Rocca Bianca until you see a cairned path on your right that descends towards the lakes.

(6) Leave the ridge line and take this path, following the cairns. First, pass close to Lac Blanchet Supérieur.

(7) Follow it and then continue downhill to reach Lac Blanchet Inférieur.

(8) Go around it on the left and you will soon reach the yellow-marked trail leading to Col Blanchet.

(9) Leave the access to the pass on your left and continue downhill to the right. You will then reach Lac de la Blanche and the refuge of the same name.

(10) Head towards the old refuge; a sign for Refuge de la Blanche, Alt 2499 m, indicates the direction of Col de Chamoussière.

::11: Cross the Aigue Blanche. Begin the climb through the mountain pasture. Join theGR®58shortly before the pass. Take it to the right to return to the Col de Chamoussière, which you passed on the way up.

(2) Retrace your steps to reach the large car park at Col Agnel (S/E) after the descent.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,621 m - Car park - Route D250t - Refuge Agnel
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 2,614 m - Aigue Agelle (rivière) - Affluent du Guil
  3. 2 : km 2.31 - alt. 2,888 m - Col de Chamoussière
  4. 3 : km 2.92 - alt. 3,005 m - Pic de Caramantran
  5. 4 : km 3.09 - alt. 3,003 m - Lollo in Vetta plaque
  6. 5 : km 3.82 - alt. 2,844 m - Col de Saint-Véran
  7. 6 : km 4.19 - alt. 2,886 m - Crossroads
  8. 7 : km 4.8 - alt. 2,806 m - Lac Blanchet supérieur
  9. 8 : km 5.23 - alt. 2,748 m - Lac Blanchet Inférieur
  10. 9 : km 5.46 - alt. 2,748 m - Return to marked trail
  11. 10 : km 6.68 - alt. 2,500 m - Refuge de la Blanche
  12. 11 : km 6.71 - alt. 2,502 m - Aigue blanche
  13. S/E : km 11.42 - alt. 2,621 m - Car park - Route D250t

Notes

(S/E) Car park: toilets, park visitor centre, information boards.
From (S/E) to (2):GR® red and white markings
From (2) to (4): no markings
From (4) to (5):PR® yellow markings
From (5) to (9) cairns present.
From (9) to (2)PR® Yellow markings
From (2) to (S/E)GR® red and white markings

Worth a visit

(2) Col de Chamoussière: enjoy the view of the surrounding peaks:
- behind: the Pain de Sucre,
- on the left: Pic de Caramantran, behind it: Pointe la Tête des Toillies.
(5) Col de Saint-Véran: here you will find a small stone shelter and orientation markers made of metal tubes on which you can read the name of the summit by looking inside.
(10) The Refuge de la Blanche is staffed from mid-June to the end of September and part of the winter. Lunch is available without reservation. Overnight stays, half-board and picnics are available by reservation.
(S/E) The Refuge de l'Agnel is located 400 m from the starting point. It is possible to start the hike from the refuge.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Philippe Issa
Philippe Issa

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike starting from the Col Agnel refuge. No difficulties. Exceptional view from the summit of Pic de Caramantran. Highly recommended.

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pdf06
pdf06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk if you enjoy alternating between ascents and descents. The lakes are very beautiful (especially the highest one) and make for great photos.

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florence.cramesnil
florence.cramesnil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely route, without too much elevation gain as it starts at altitude, overlooking lakes and valleys, with magnificent views of Mount Viso. Best done early in the day during periods of heat haze.

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florence.cramesnil
florence.cramesnil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route, without too much elevation gain as it starts at altitude, overlooking lakes and valleys, with panoramic views of Mount Viso. Best done early in the morning during periods of heat haze.

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sjoannic
sjoannic

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike!!!
The views are sublime and the lakes are magnificent.
I highly recommend this hike and thank the author!
Be warned, the route is quite long and the climb back up from the Blanche refuge can be difficult for occasional walkers (but there are no technical difficulties).

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mapigap
mapigap

Try it and you'll love it 😉. Glad you liked it!

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Pasnog
Pasnog

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route that we did twice in two weeks, the second time in sunshine with lots of people at the lakes and at the La Blanche refuge.

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totolitoto
totolitoto

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany hike with magnificent scenery. We ended up with 13.5 km on the clock, but that was fine in terms of timing (without the lunch break). After the Col de St Veran, continue along the path that climbs along the ridge for 100-150 m before turning right to reach the lakes.

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momoe2673
momoe2673

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike, a little long, which requires caution to reach the Pic de Caramantran.
But so beautiful!
The lakes are splendid. Our efforts were richly rewarded!
Thank you for this beautiful route.
MOMOE

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Jocelyne P.
Jocelyne P.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. We just made a small mistake along the way. We didn't follow the instructions properly and at point 5 we were misled by the signs pointing to the Blanchet refuge. So we made a return trip for nothing, otherwise we would have missed the whole Blanchet lakes section. So remember to go under the Rocca Bianca. For us, that meant a total of 930 m of elevation gain instead of 800. When you love something, you don't count the cost... We are regular visitors to Queyras and this is definitely a hike to do as a priority.

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RMD
RMD

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent 360° view from the pass with Italian clouds that parted just long enough to reveal a huge lake.

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mapigap
mapigap

Between 3 and 4 (Pic Caramantran and the flags), a short section can be considered vertiginous if you pass too low. If you don't feel comfortable crossing, you can descend to the Col de Chamoussière and then take the balcony trail that joins the Col de St Véran without crossing the ridge.

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Randooo
Randooo

Hello,

Does this route include any vertiginous sections (dangerous ridges)?
Thank you for your help

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xrocca
xrocca

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike that seemed easier than described (which was rather reassuring!).
There was only one obvious path leading up from the Chamoussière pass to the peak, or more precisely to a small "pass" on the ridge between the main peak (3,025 metres on the IGN map) to the north-east and the secondary peak to the south (3,021 metres). Once you reach this small "pass", the main peak is on your left. Once you reach the peak, you have to turn around, go back over this small "pass" and continue on to the secondary peak, where the trail is clearly visible (no need to hesitate between several paths) and already marked with yellow markings. Continuing on, you arrive at the Col St Veran, where the only French sign has disappeared since JCP07's comment.
It is possible to continue on to Rocca Bianca, whose promontory is clearly visible with its cross.
The climb after the Blanche refuge is not very steep and is easy even after lunch. However, the trail is sometimes not obvious, but it is easy to guess the location of the pass, having passed it earlier in the morning.

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Julie B
Julie B

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
I set off on this hike just before 9am, so I didn't meet many people for a 19th of July. I didn't feel cold because it climbs right from the start!
The route is very beautiful and varied, with no problems following the trail. I downloaded the GPX file and followed the route. After passing the Caramantran peak towards the lakes, the path is not always easy to see, but there are several cairns to help you find your way.
I highly recommend this route!

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